I’m a huge documentary fan, so when I came across Napoleon Hill’s Master Key (featuring his 13 keys to success), I was intrigued enough to hit play.

My curiosity was immediately rewarded with an inspiring and powerful documentary that was honestly more impactful than some paid webinars these days…seriously!

It’s old…really, really old (it was filmed in the 50’s!), but the lessons are timeless and so important. He basically lays out exactly how you can succeed at anything in life. What’s better than that?

So if you’re trying to achieve anything at all, keep scrolling to find out the 13 essential keys to success and move this documentary to the top of your watch list. Luckily, the episodes are only about 15 minutes each, so you can squeeze them in here and there.

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Napoleon Hill’s 13 Keys to Success

If the name sounds familiar, but you can’t pinpoint it, Napoleon Hill is best known for his best-selling book Think and Grow Rich. He was a brilliant man with a lot of knowledge…and through his research, he pinpointed 13 keys for success – keys that can help make any dream possible.

His docu-series takes a close look at each and every key to success, so watch it when you can, but for now, here’s a glimpse into what you need to achieve success:

1. Definiteness of Purpose

If you want to make your dreams come true, you need to know what they are. This sounds pretty simple, but you may be surprised to find that you don’t actually have a clear picture of your end goal. Most of the successful people in the world had a laser-focused goal that they never let go of.

2. The Mastermind Principle

The Mastermind Principle sounds like something complicated, but it’s pretty straightforward – if you want to succeed, find someone else that can help you work towards your goal. All successful people are surrounded by people that helped to get them where they are.

3. Habit of Going the Extra Mile

Successful people always do more than is expected of them – always. This includes when they don’t want to, when they aren’t feeling good, when they haven’t been asked, when it isn’t expected, and most importantly, when other people aren’t willing to. If you can get into the habit of going the extra mile, eventually it will pay off.

4. Applied Faith

Applied faith is one of the most important keys to success. It is how we get past barriers and roadblocks. It means having the mental strength to know that you will succeed and to not be defeated when things go awry.

5. Pleasing Personality

According to Napoleon Hill, this may be the most important key to success of all! If nothing else, it will certainly make things easier for you. Always, always, always strive to have a pleasing personality. Be flexible and friendly, express enthusiasm, and be sincere when you are having conversations with people.

6. Self-Discipline

Self-discipline is an absolute must for successful people. When you have strong self-discipline, you have control over your own thoughts, which is an unbelievably powerful tool.

7. Positive Mental Attitude

Sound a little like having a pleasing personality? It’s similar and just goes to show how important it is. Having a positive mental attitude is different though in that it exists even when you’re alone. It includes practicing gratitude, accepting criticism, and avoiding controversy.

8. Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm is an expression of your positive mental attitude, so the two go hand-in-hand. Without enthusiasm, the things you say are far less effective. Successful people are extremely enthusiastic about their areas of expertise and it shows in everything they do.

9. Personal Initiative

Personal initiative is the habit of doing things without someone telling you to do it. Successful people do more than they are paid for, they do it before anyone even knows it needs to be done, and they do it without expecting anything. Small successes create big successes, so don’t overlook tasks that may seem insignificant – because they’re not.

10. Learning from Adversity

Everyone faces some sort of adversity or disappointment in their lives, but successful people know that those moments are opportunities in disguise. They turn their failures into assets.

11. Creative Vision

It is probably no surprise that successful people are also innovative and creative. You do not, however, need to be an inventor to be successful. Creative vision can come from an already existing idea – you just need to make it better.

12. Accurate Thinking

If one key of success is taken for granted the most, it’s this one. Ironically, Napoleon Hill saw the value of accurate thinking and he didn’t even live during an age of social media and rampant fake news. Truly successful people, however, know how to decipher fact from fiction. They know that opinions are often worthless and they can tell when people are talking about something that they’re truly not knowledgeable on.

13. Cosmic Habit Force

This is one of my favorite keys to success – Cosmic Habit Force. This belief is more commonly referred to nowadays as the Law of Attraction. Basically, nothing is luck. Our thoughts attract our realities. This is why Hill’s seventh key – positive mental attitude – is so important. If you are constantly thinking positive thoughts and focusing on your dreams, they will eventually come true.

There you have it! 13 keys to success that will help achieve your dreams. I hope you have a chance to watch the full documentary – Napoleon Hill’s Master Key – so that you can absorb each and every one of his lessons. It’s an old documentary, so prepare for that! But the concepts are timeless and truly transformational. Enjoy!